Bauchi Gov, Peter Obi in talks to change the status quo for the good of Nigerians
By Abbas Usman, Bauchi
The Governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammed and former Governor of Anambra State and Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Mr.Peter Obi have publicaly announced their readiness to work together with a view to rescuing Nigeria and Nigerians from maladministration and poor leadership of the All Progressive Congress (APC).
This pronouncement was made by the two Prominent Political leaders after a closed-door meeting on Thursday at Ramat House Bauchi, that lasted for an hour..
Governor Bala Mohammed, who acknowledged the capacity and ability of Mr.Obi, said Obi is the leader of the opposition in Nigeria, because of his position and pedigree.
“So I want to say to clear some of those doubting Thomases who want to preempt what we are doing.
“Myself as a person, I’m ready to work with Peter Obi and to make sure we come together, close ranks, and bring good governance to the country.
“I think our coming together is a message. And the message is going to resonate, I believe, because all our colleagues, the governors are behind this kind of journey, because it is a transcendental one, and I want to say that we are very grateful to Governor Peter Obi for coming here, and we will take it up and take it further in a manner that going forward, you will see more of this outing between us and Governor Obi, PDP governors, and PDP as a party.
Governor Bala Mohammed, believes that their collaboration transcends party lines, religious affiliations and geopolitical interests for the betterment of Nigeria.
“Our collaboration is beyond party, religion, and personal interests. The government in power thrives on division, but we will use knowledge, strategy, and unity to build a better Nigeria,” he assured.
Earlier in his speech after introducing members of his team and special greetings to government and good People of Bauchi state, the former Presidential candidate unfolded that his visit to Bauchi Governor basically is to discuss the issues affecting the country.
“With what our country is going through, I felt it is necessary for me to come and discuss the future of our dear country with him,” .
“So instead of a consultation, it’s a meeting that will continue to go on as we talk about the future of this country. All of you are aware where we are today, what is happening in our country and everything.
“And yet we have to discuss that. You have to discuss the issues that are happening in the North. Like I have told the governor today, that the North is a critical component if we are going to get it right in this country.
“There’s so much criminality in Nigeria, especially when people talk about it, and I say, no, there’s poverty in Nigeria. You have to deal with the issue of poverty. Until you solve poverty, you can’t talk about criminality. Because if people don’t know where the next meal will come from, nobody can know what they can do.
“We can see poverty in the North, but there’s also a future that is everywhere. We can make more money today. Nigeria can be rich today from agriculture that will make for more yields. And I could see vast areas of uncultivated land that have been turning the government off everywhere I go. I’ve been visiting everywhere in the world. I just came back from a visit to Indonesia, the highest Muslim country in the world.”
According to Obi, Nigeria needed to invest in critical areas to put Nigerians out of poverty so that the Nation could reduce criminality.
While answering questions from journalists at the Ramat House Bauchi, the 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, ironically Commended President Bola Tinubu, for fulfilling his promise to continue from where former President Muhammadu Buhari stops. Saying “he has done very very well.”.
Obi contrasted Nigeria’s economic performance with that of Indonesia, citing how their government transformed the country’s economy over the past decade.
According to him, “In Indonesia, where i am just coming from, a president was sworn in about the same time with another one in Nigeria. Ten years later, Indonesia moved their GDP from $800 billion to $1.3 trillion, and their per capita income from $3,000 to $5,000.
Here in Nigeria, our GDP fell from $500 billion to $200 billion, and per capita income dropped from $3,500 to below $2,000—that is the difference,”* he explained.”.
He explained the need to revive Nigeria industries, invest in education and healthcare, and steer the nation towards productive governance.
Obi further revealed while answering questions from journalists that his meeting with Governor Bala Mohammed was part of a broader discussion on addressing the country’s challenges.
Saying, “We have just started discussions. You can’t consummate a marriage in one day. But the most important thing is that our thoughts are centered on issues that affect the ordinary Nigerian.
We want a Nigeria where a child of nobody can become somebody. We will eliminate the elite conspiracy that uses tribalism and religion to divide the people. We have voted for tribe and religion before; now, we must vote for competence and capacity,” Obi concluded.
